ICE arrests local individuals in ‘Safe City’ operation

By Alexandra Marquez

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officials arrested 11 people in Montgomery County, 11 people in Prince George’s County and six people in other parts of Maryland on Sept. 28 as part of their operation “Safe City.” The operation included arrests of 498 people in sanctuary jurisdictions across the nation.

In a statement, Tom Homan, the acting director of ICE said, “Sanctuary jurisdictions that do not honor detainers or allow us access to jails and prisons are shielding criminal aliens from immigration enforcement and creating a magnet for illegal immigration.”

The arrests conducted in Montgomery County and the rest of Maryland included detainees that had been previously convicted with first degree assault and possession of an unregistered firearm, according to an ICE press release.

Carissa Cutrell, an ICE spokeswoman, told the Baltimore Sun that of the 28 individuals arrested in Maryland, 11 were arrested in Prince George’s County, 11 were arrested in Montgomery County, five were arrested in Baltimore and one person was detained in Baltimore County.

Captain Marcus Jones, commander of the District 3 police station in Montgomery County was unaware the arrests had taken place until after the fact.

“ICE themselves don’t actually reach out to us to tell us that they’re coming in to do any sort of enforcement from an illegal immigration standpoint,” he said.

Jones also said that the Montgomery County Police Department never assists ICE in immigration arrests and never questions the immigration status of individuals involved in their investigations. “The policy of the police department has always been that we do not question individuals about their immigration status, whether they are a victim or a suspect of any crime,” he said.